Capstone Video

It was my first time using Jing. It's not very fancy. :-)

Brenda Gonzalez (capstone video)

Section 7

E-learning incorporates all learning that involves any type of technology. I think this year I am trying to incorporate a learning environment that uses technology. It has been a challenge for various reasons, but for the times the learning is done with technology the students have absolutely loved it. For that reason I want to continue to incorporate e-learning environments in my classroom as much as possible. This means I must continue my training in technology to assure I am up to date. Ten years from now I can not expect to be using the same technology methods in my classroom that I do now. Technology is ever changing and we must constantly be changing along with it. All of our students own some type of technology at home and everything around us is shifting towards technology being a primary tool in our daily lives. So I feel we need to teach our students with tools they are interested in and in a way that will help them be fully prepared for college and the real world. Just as stated in the book “The richest learning experiences are those that go beyond simple acquisition of knowledge.” (page. 282)

A learning objective is anything that can be re-used for educational purposes. Being an educator the connection I made when reading this chapter was when I integrate one lesson to another or relate different subjects. Learning objectives aren’t necessarily to show how there is a connection from one thing to another, but you take something that was previously used in one learning instance and use it at a different time for another educational purpose. It’s recycling learning objects from one educational purpose to another. This is done all the time in education. One thing I need to do better in is to incorporate learning objects in e-learning. I think I will be more successful in this aspect as I continue to learn more about technology and feel more comfortable using it in the classroom. Using templates that guide you on how to reuse learning objectives may also be very helpful when developing an e-learning environment in the future. It’s like any other new adventure. At first you aren’t to sure of it, but the more you do it the more accustomed you get to thinking that way and it becomes automatic.

Rich media involves the use of multimedia such as: videos, animation, and audio to help people learn.  It is very important when using rich media to make the learning environment a learner-centered learning environment. This approach will take the learner into account. Rich media is used to facilitate the learners’ learning. This is something I must work on more. When I plan a lesson and want to use technology I can not plan the lesson around the technology I want to use. The technology is a tool I include within my lesson to help the learner understand something in a different way or in a way they had not seen it before. I try to do this already, but at times find myself planning for the technology and not the learner. This too is something I must continue to practice and hopefully will become a natural way of planning my lessons.

            Humans become very accustomed to routine and we get comfortable with what we know. When something is new and different, no matter the difficulty, it is placed in our path and it makes us cringe a little. Some of us may take technology with a stride and be excited to implement it everyday. Others are a little more hesitant. In my personal life I could not live without the use of technology. It’s amazing how much technology is used to help me survive on a day to day bases. When it comes to using technology in my classroom I begin to get a little worried. Then when I think of technology being student-centered and allowing the students to use it for their learning, I am even more lost.  Technology makes learning more effective. We now have answers with one click. Students are able to communicate with people from all over the world. We are able to explore places we have never been. I must begin to get use to being a facilitator for my students and giving them the type of environment they need to succeed. 

Section 6

I am currently a fourth grade bilingual teacher at Shands Elementary School in Mesquite, Texas. I am in my third semester of my graduate program. I am seeking my masters in Curriculum and Instruction in Education. The reason I chose Curriculum and Instruction is because it gives me options in the future to do something else within education. I may not always want to be a classroom teacher and this gives me the opportunity to continue working with children and in the field I love, but in a different position. I chose to take this IDT coarse because I felt it would help me learn how to incorporate technology in my classroom. And in the future as a Curriculum Specialist I could help other teachers integrate technology with their curriculum. When I graduate my plans are to continue in education as a teacher and in the future transfer to a Curriculum Specialist position with the district or at a campus.

Based on the WorkMatrix I most desire to work in a first level service as a teacher, or delivering training. Although I mentioned being a Curriculum Specialist for the district, in the future my preference would be to become a Curriculum Specialist at a school. My first year as a teacher I was overwhelmed, just as any other first year teacher. My mentor, who was the Curriculum Specialist at my school, truly saved me from stress and panic. She helped me with my lesson plans and guided me through transferring what I had learned in college to actual practice in my classroom. When I was deciding on a master degree I thought about her. I want to do what she did for me for someone else.  

I have learned a lot in my graduate courses, but when I graduate in December 2014 I will not be applying for the position right away. I think experience is key to knowledge. In order for me to be qualified and knowledgeable as a Curriculum Specialist I must continue as a classroom teacher and gain more experience. I must also continue to further my education and learn how to integrate technology in the classroom and within the curriculum and assure content is student centered and will guide all students to success.  

After I graduate I will continue to attend staff developments geared toward Curriculum and Instruction. I do think doing this now will be beneficial. For that reason I have signed up for a technology conference and currently taking a three day course on how to implement the Fundamental Five by Sean Cain into my daily lesson plans and instruction. I also attended ABYDOS training this past summer. This is a three week class intended to introduce you to a new theory behind Writing and the power Writing has across the curriculum. Being a part of these additional courses now is important because I am constantly learning how to implement new and better ideas with the curriculum. This in return makes me a better teacher, which one day will help me in becoming a Curriculum Specialist who is experienced.